Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Eritrea: Human Rights

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 13 July (HL957), what responses they have received to date from the government of Eritrea to their call for it to follow through on its commitments with concrete action to strengthen the rule of law and to improve the human rights situation on the ground, by (1) correspondence, (2) meetings with officials of the Eritrean embassy, (3) representatives of the government of Eritrea in Eritrea or the United Kingdom, and (4) at the UN; and if no responses have yet been received, what they consider to be a reasonable delay in responding, and what action they plan to take in the absence of any response after that time.

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 13 July (HL957), what assessment they have made of what would be an acceptable programme of concrete action by the government of Eritrea to strengthen the rule of law and to improve the human rights situation in that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Eritrea has made some limited progress against its international commitments on human rights in 2015. This included the publication in May of new Civil, Penal, Civil Procedure and Criminal Procedure Codes. The Government of Eritrea also hosted a visit by representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to consider potential project work in the field of human rights in Eritrea. Government officials regularly meet with the Eritrean ministers and officials in London and Asmara to press the Government of Eritrea to address shortcomings on civil and political rights. Following the Universal Period Review (UPR) in 2014 Eritrea accepted 92 of the recommendations and has ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. We continue to push for implementation of the remaining UPR recommendations.

Eritrea: Human Rights

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 13 July (HL957), in the light of the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in Eritrea, what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with (1) countries neighbouring Eritrea, (2) the African Union, (3) the European Union, and (4) the UN, about the impact of the number of Eritreans fleeing through the region; and what measures are being investigated jointly to alleviate the suffering of those refugees.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have an ongoing dialogue with regional partners on the impact of irregular migration from Eritrea and the Horn of Africa. Through the EU/African Union “Khartoum Process”, the Government is working to develop, implement and resource concrete projects to reduce irregular migration as well as tackle human trafficking and smuggling from the Horn of Africa. The Department for International Development provides support for almost 600,000 refugees in Ethiopia, through a multi-year programme with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).EU and African partners will discuss further opportunities for cooperation ahead of the Valletta Summit on migration in November.

Northern Ireland Office

Belfast Agreement

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 20 July (HL1462) which concerned discussions with the government of the Republic of Ireland instigated under the Belfast Agreement, whether human rights in the United Kingdom and the Republic were part of those discussions, and if so, who took part in those discussions; and what were the outcomes.

Earl of Courtown: As has been explained previously to the Noble Lord, the UK and Irish Governments meet regularly at ministerial and official level to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern. These include matters relating to the implementation of the Belfast Agreement.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of progress in implementing the economic pact agreed with the Northern Ireland Executive in June 2013.

Earl of Courtown: The first annual progress report on the economic pact was published last July. This set out improvements in access to finance, investments by the Green Investment Bank, and continuation of 100 per cent Assisted Area Status for Northern Ireland.Further progress has been made and legislation passed to allow the devolution of corporation tax rate-setting powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The new tax-setting powers will only be commenced if the Executive parties put their finances on a long-term sustainable footing.The Government will continue to work with the Executive on delivery across the economic pact and will publish a further update report following the summer recess.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Overseas Trade: Greece

Lord Radice: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of total annual British imports from, and exports to, Greece.

Lord Maude of Horsham: The total value of UK imports from Greece was £2.6 billion in 2013. This comprised of £0.8 billion imports of goods and £1.9 billion imports of services.   The total value of UK exports to Greece was £2.8 billion in 2013. This comprised of £1.5 billion exports of goods and £1.3 billion exports of services.   These data are taken from the United Kingdom Balance of Payments - The Pink Book 2014, available at http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2014/index.html   Data on the total value of UK trade with Greece for 2014 will be published in the Pink Book 2015, due for release 30 October 2015.

Apprentices

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many, and what proportion of, (1) 16 year-olds, (2) 17 year-olds, (3) 18 year-olds, and (4) 19-24 year-olds, started on an apprenticeship in the areas of science, engineering, manufacturing and technology in (a) 2012–13, and (b) 2013–14.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Table 1 shows the number of young people starting apprenticeships in the ‘Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies’, ‘Information and Communication Technology’ and ‘Science and Mathematics’ Sector Subject Areas in 2012/13 and 2013/14.   This information is not available as proportions of the population of each age group.  Table 1: Number of Apprenticeship starts by 16,17, 18 and 19-24 year-olds in the Engineering and Manufacturing Techologies, Information and Communication Technology and Science and Mathematics Sector Subject Areas in 2012/13 and 2013/14Sector Subject AreaAge2012/132013/14Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies166,9806,850 177,5708,470 1810,22010,800 19-2420,95022,530Information and Communication Technology16940720 171,5001,480 182,4902,830 19-244,8105,340Science and Mathematics161030 173050 1890110 19-24120130Total167,9007,600 179,10010,000 1812,80013,700 19-2425,90028,000Notes:   1) The source is the Individualised Learner Record.2) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10, with the exception of totals which are rounded to the nearest hundred.3) Age is based upon self-declaration by the learner and is defined as age at start of Apprenticeship.

Supermarkets: Sales Promotions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are taking steps to tighten regulation to ensure that supermarkets do not mislead customers with confusing pricing promotions.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: It is already a criminal offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for traders, including supermarkets, to give consumers misleading pricing information. We are currently giving careful consideration to the Competition and Market’s Authority’s (CMA) findings and recommendations published on 16th July in response to the Which? Super-complaint on pricing practices in the grocery market and will respond to the CMA’s report within 90 days.

Tickets: Sales

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in line with the statutory objective set out in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to set up an enquiry in order to publish a report on the operation of the secondary market for tickets within a year of Royal Assent to that Act, they have decided on the membership of the Review Group and its terms of reference; and whether they have consulted the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is finalising the leadership of the Review and its Terms of Reference following input from stakeholders. The All-Party Parliamentary Group will be invited to submit evidence to the Review once the Chair has been appointed and approved the Terms of Reference.

Property: Registration

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to require companies registered abroad that intend to hold a property title in the United Kingdom to deliver to the Land Registry the same details that companies registered in the United Kingdom are required to deliver to Companies House.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Land Registry records the legal owner of a property in England and Wales. Where the registered owner is a company, Land Registry records the Companies House registration number for UK companies, or the territory of incorporation for overseas companies. This information can be accessed by the public.   From 2016 all UK companies will have to register their beneficial owners at Companies House. So where a property is owned by a UK company, information on that company’s beneficial ownership will be accessible, online and for free in the Register of People with Significant Control.  The Prime Minister stated during a speech made in Singapore on 28 July, that he will consult on the best way forward to extending what we ask of UK companies to foreign companies.  He has also asked Land Registry from this autumn to publish data on which foreign companies own which land and property titles in England and Wales.

Overseas Trade

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of opportunities to revive previous Hanseatic League trade routes between the United Kingdom and Europe; and in particular what (1) marketing research has been undertaken, (2) commercial arrangements have been forged, and (3) support has been given to United Kingdom ports and shipping, in relation to those opportunities.

Lord Maude of Horsham: UK Trade and Investment works with UK based businesses to ensure their success in international markets through exports. UKTI services are available in all European markets subject to the prevailing political climate; there is no specific focus on reviving Hanseatic League trade routes.

Scotland Office

Scotland Bill

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 22 July (HL1552), whether they plan to delay the sending of the Scotland Bill to the House of Lords until those negotiations are concluded.

Earl of Courtown: Business of the House will be announced in the usual way. As has previously been stated, the Government intends to progress the negotiations on the fiscal framework in parallel with the Scotland Bill.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Autism

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the rate of full-time employment of adults with autism above the current level of 15 per cent.

Baroness Altmann: DWP produced an Autism action-plan in 2013 to support the improvement of service provision and increase work opportunities for people with autism. DWP is a member of the Autism Programme Board and in response to the Think Autism strategy, we are working co-productively with a large number of stakeholders to implement a range of activities to support this remit - and ensure that staff are providing the best possible support to people with autism when looking for work. Promoting the employment of people with autism is also being taken forward as part of the Disability Confident campaign.

Occupational Pensions: LGBT People

Lord Cashman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Altmann on 13 July stating that the total cost of equalising survivor benefit payments would amount to £3.3 billion (HL Deb, col 343), what assessment they have made of the cost of equalising payments specifically on the grounds of sexual orientation; and whether they consider those costs to be prohibitive.

Baroness Altmann: The capitalised cost of eliminating all differences in survivor benefits because of sexual orientation is estimated at £120 million, as set out in the Review of Survivor Benefits in Occupational Pension Schemes. Although all differences because of sexual orientation in the provision of survivor benefits would be eliminated, differences because of sex would remain. This would mean that there would be differences in treatment between male same sex couples and female same sex couples. This is because male same sex couples would receive survivor benefits based on accruals from 1988 (in line with widowers of an opposite sex marriage), with female same sex couples receiving them based on accruals from 1978 (in line with widows of an opposite sex marriage). The Government must take into account the costs and all other effects of reducing or eliminating differences before deciding on whether the law should be changed.

Home Office

Sexual Offences

Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the latest data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, and the statistics on the number of incidents of revenge porn recently released in response to a Freedom of Information Act 2000 request, what steps they are taking to ensure that police forces are adequately resourced, and officers adequately trained, to respond to the victims and survivors of sex crimes.

Lord Bates: Resourcing the response to any type of crime is an operational matter for chief officers. The Government continues to support improvements to the criminal justice system’s response to victims of sexual violence, including the introduction of a new offence to criminalise revenge pornography in the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. Alongside this, the Government has also carried out a campaign to raise public awareness of the issue and has established a Revenge Porn Helpline, offering details of free legal advice and liaising with law enforcement and media companies to remove content where possible.Police recorded crime figures show more victims of sexual violence have the confidence to come forward, and the number of prosecutions and convictions for rape are at their highest levels.

Rape

Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to respond to the recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics, which recorded over 29,000 rape cases in the year ending March 2015; and what support is being provided through statutory and voluntary organisations to provide counselling to support the victims and survivors.

Lord Bates: The Government has continued its funding commitment until March 2016 to provide support to victims and survivors of rape. This includes £1.72 million to part fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Adviser posts and £4.4million to fund rape support centres across England and Wales. Reporting of sexual violence is going up and specialised support services to victims and child sexual abuse are experiencing increased demand on their services. In recognition of this, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice announced an additional £7 million in 2014/15 and 2015/16 for non-statutory organisations providing these services as follows:• £2.15 million as extra funding for 84 existing Rape Support Centres;• £2 million for a Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund to better support survivors coming forward as a direct result of the announcement of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse; and• £2.85 million for a Child and Adult Victims of Sexual Abuse Support Fund to help non-statutory organisations providing support across England and Wales meet the increased demand on those services.

HM Treasury

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the number of Equitable Life policy holders who have still to be contacted before the Equitable Life Payment Scheme closes.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: At 31 May 2015, payments have been issued to around 87 per cent of eligible Equitable Life policyholders. Approximately 13 per cent of policyholders are therefore currently untraced and unpaid. This is already below the National Audit Office’s 2003 prediction that 17-20 per cent would be left unpaid at the end of the Scheme.The Scheme remains committed to tracing and paying as many eligible policyholders as it can before it closes. Strenuous efforts have been made to trace policyholders through advertising, electronic tracing methods, writing to last known addresses, and working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). As announced at Summer Budget, work is continuing with the DWP to trace unpaid policyholders due a payment of £50 or more, where sufficient details are held to enable the DWP tracing service to be used. This further tracing will be completed before the Scheme closes to new claims on 31 December 2015.

Tax Avoidance

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they expect to raise from action on tax avoidance by 2017–18.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government has committed to saving £5 billion per year through tackling avoidance and tax planning, evasion and compliance and imbalances in the tax system.The package of measures announced at Summer Budget 2015 represent the next stage in the government’s actions in this area and contributes towards the government commitment by saving £19 billion by 2020/2021 and £5 billion per year by 2019/2020.

Banks

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to weaken the ring-fence scheme separating retail and investment banks.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government has no plans to weaken the ring-fence legislation.The ring-fencing of retail from wholesale/investment banking is central to the Government’s structural reforms of UK banks. Ring-fencing was a key recommendation of the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB), established in June 2010 and chaired by Sir John Vickers. Ring-fencing will insulate retail banking services (whose continuous provision is essential to financial stability and to the wider economy) from shocks originating elsewhere in the global financial system. It will also make ring-fenced retail banks simpler and easier for the authorities to resolve should they or their wider corporate groups fail.

Money Laundering

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce a cap on cash payments for property, in addition to existing anti-money-laundering measures.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government does not currently have plans to introduce a cap on cash payments for property.   However, the Government will consult later this year on the transposition of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive which is compatible with the revised global standards of the Financial Action Task Force. We will use this consultation to propose changes to improve the effectiveness of the UK’s anti-money laundering and counter terrorist finance regime.   The Government is committed to protecting the financial system and national security through effective and proportionate use of financial sanctions, anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist and proliferation finance measures. All those dealing with property transactions in the UK, including banks, lawyers and estate agents, are required to actively detect and prevent money laundering including by reporting suspicious activity to the National Crime Agency and by conducting customer due diligence using a risk-based approach.

Economic and Monetary Union

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the United Kingdom’s cumulative expenditure and exposure since 2008 in relation to efforts to support the euro and the economies of Greece, Portugal and Spain; and what is the legal base for that support under the EU Treaties.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government recently secured agreement that Member States who are not members of the single currency, including the UK, will not incur financial liabilities as a result of any future provision of Union financial assistance for the stability of the Eurozone.   UK contingent liabilities through loans guaranteed by the EU Budget are recorded in the annual accounts of the Consolidated Fund.   The latest accounts, published on the 22 July 2015, show a UK contingent liability to loans provided to Ireland and Portugal through the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM) of £5,299 million. This mechanism was established under Article 122(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.   The UK has incurred no expenditure through the provision of these EU loans. Only in the event that a recipient fails to repay a loan would the EU Budget be called upon, to which the UK contributes.   Since this report, further short-term EFSM assistance has been provided to Greece as a technical bridge finance mechanism for further euro area support from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). However, the Government secured legally-binding collateral arrangements which ensure no liability for UK taxpayers from this loan.   The UK is not a member of the euro area and therefore has no liability to the ESM, EFSF, or Greek Loan Facility. These were used to provide assistance to Spain, Cyprus and Greece.   In 2010, recognising our close economic and financial ties, the UK provided a bilateral loan to Ireland worth €3.2 billion under the Loans to Ireland Act 2010.   As a shareholder in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the UK has an exposure to its overall lending. The IMF is primarily a quota-based institution. The UK’s quota subscription to the IMF is 10,738.5 million Special Drawing Rights, equivalent to £10,009 million at 31 March 2015. This accounts for 4.5 per cent of total quotas at the IMF.

Cabinet Office

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what part, if any, the geopolitical analysis in the 2015 review of French military spending will play in the formulation of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government routinely consults with allies and partners on the shared threats we face and will take their analysis into account in formulating our National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Agriculture: Industrial Health and Safety

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many fatalities and serious injuries there have been in the agriculture industry in each year from 1995 until 2014.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UK Statistics Reply 
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